The
Important Part of Fasting and How to Break It
Breaking an extended fast can be difficult. You will
quickly discover that breaking the fast is harder than
fasting. A slumbering digestive system is sensitive, and
although you might want to try every food on the planet,
you cannot because your system needs time to get back to
speed. The longer the fast the more time is needed for
breaking the fast. Water fasting demands the longest
time to break. The longer the fast the more difficult it
is to break correctly. Here is an email to show just how
bad it can be.
"When it came down to actually breaking my fast, I had no
idea how difficult it would be. The moment I put
anything inside my body, I lost that natural euphoric
high I'd had during the fast, and that feeling of losing
control caused me to overeat until I was sick. I ate
like a pig and even smoked! I was sure I would never
have the desire to smoke again. I'm also feeling a bit
ill. I felt the same as I did before fasting: tired,
frustrated, bloated and achy. Everything looks messy and
out of control right now. I feel like I want to cry all
the time. I don't understand it! I had such discipline
during the fast! What happened? Do you have any insights
for me? Thank you for being there!! Love, Mia"
Are you a compulsive eater?
If you are a compulsive eater, breaking a fast can be
exceedingly difficult. During the fast, you are free
from the bondage of food, but as soon as you eat, the
battle engulfs you at full intensity. There is a nervous
anxiety about eating. Part of you wants to enjoy the
food and part of you is fearful of losing control.
Reading the book, Eating In Freedom, during your fast
will have prepared you for victory.
There are erroneous beliefs that will destroy your
discipline and healthy breaking of the fast. One is that
I have deprived myself; now, I get to enjoy food. The
other trap is the newness of the experience. Flavors and
textures of food will be enhanced by super-clean nasal
passages. Eating will be a brand new experience. There
is a desire to try every food just to see how it tastes.
A bite of this and that leads to a belly full of an
indigestible mixture.
If you have dreamed of eating pizza after a fast, the
first thing you will eat after breaking the fast will be
pizza, because you have programmed your mind for the
event. Be careful not to lust after food during a fast.
Breaking a juice fast
When you break a fast and start to eat, do not expect
that the food will give you energy. Often, it is just
the opposite; after fasting, the digestion of food can
stir up more toxins. The first few meals move through
the intestine like a broom that pushes ahead of it
loosening waste from 30 feet of intestine. You can
actually go from feeling great to feeling toxic after
eating one small salad. Losing that exhilarating feeling
and clear-mindedness, experienced on the fast, can be
depressing. Don't worry if this happens, it will pass in
a few hours. A healthy diet high in raw food, can
maintain the benefits of fasting.
Eating small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables for
the first five or six days will allow the body to gently
wake up the digestive system. Once you have eaten, wait
till you feel hungry. Do not eat according to the clock
or because you feel you should be eating more. When
breaking a fast, overloading the digestive system causes
feelings of apathy, depression or sluggishness. However,
if you do overeat, the effect can be remedied by fasting
until hunger returns, and then continue to break the
fast. One of the tricks I have learned on breaking a
fast is to pretend I am still fasting but eat the
occasional fruit.
Important guidelines for breaking the fast
For six days, gradually increase the amount of raw
fruits and vegetables in your diet. To break a fast and
gorge on meat, bread or junk food will be a disaster.
Jarring the system this intensely, when the digestive
system is re-awakening, can cause stomach cramps, nausea
and weakness, negating some of the benefits of a fast.
First day after the fast:
Eat a piece of fruit in the morning and a small
bowl of raw vegetable salad for lunch; vegetable
broth also is good. Drink freshly made juice for the
rest of the day.
Second day after the fast:
Soaked prunes or figs for breakfast. Small bowl
of fresh vegetable salad for lunch. Vegetable soup
made without salt at dinner. Two apples or a fruit
salad eaten between meals. All this in addition to
freshly made juices and broths.
Third day after the fast:
Same as the second day, but add a handful of
dates or raisins.
Fourth day after the fast:
You may return to the diet you have chosen, but
it is important to listen to your stomach, eat
smaller meals, chew your food and eat according to
hunger.
NOTE: When breaking a fast over ten days, a good rule
of thumb is that the break-in period should be extended
one day for every 4 days of fasting. When breaking from
water fasting, go to a juice fast for two days or eat
sweet fruits like oranges, mangos or pears.
Healthy Eating Habits
- Do not overeat! Listen to your body. Discover
the amount of food that your body needs to live a
vibrant, healthy life.
- Eat slowly and chew your food well. Saliva has
enzymes that assist in digestion. The enzymes in
saliva can digest up to 80 percent starch, 30
percent protein and 10 percent fat.
- Be relaxed. Try to unwind when eating.
- Decide ahead of time what you want to eat and
the amount rather than eating from an urge.
- Make juices during the breaking period. Juice is
gentle nourishment to the body. Most fasters
continue to include juice in their daily routine for
the rest of their lives.
- Stay focused on eating rather than on unsettling
thoughts. Pay attention to the texture, smell and
the sensation of eating. Be aware of how it feels in
the stomach.
- Enjoy eating to the max. People are starving and
you have the privilege to eat.
- Work at making healthy food appealing. A banana
and pear taste great without preparation but having
them sliced into a fancy bowl, sprinkled with
chopped dates and chilled in the refrigerator will
maintain your enthusiasm for eating healthy.
- Discern the difference between cravings and
hunger. Never feed your emotions by eating from
stress, depression or boredom.
- You will feel satisfied with smaller amounts of
food and sluggish and tired when overeating. Rich
foods full of fat, salt and processed sugars will
cause nausea, headaches and weakness. A handful of
fruit will be thoroughly satisfying. Because the
digestive system has to work less, there will be
boundless energy to spare.
- Have an exit activity for after eating. Make it
something you want to do. It will be easier to move
away from the table.
- Educate yourself on how to begin a lifestyle of
healthy eating. Fasting is a wonderful new
beginning, a foundation for a lifelong, healthy
diet.
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